The present invention relates generally to transient voltage suppressor (TVS) devices, and specifically to a system and method for performing built-in test (BIT) of TVS devices.
TVS devices are often utilized, for example, to protect circuitry from lightning strikes and other transients. TVS devices are often used to protect control circuitry onboard aircraft from these high voltage/current transients. A TVS device will turn on at a certain voltage, depending on the specific device, and then clamp the signal line at that voltage, called the clamping voltage, and therefore protect any connected circuitry. Under normal operation, the TVS device does not affect the circuit operation. Often times, a higher clamping voltage is required which may necessitate multiple TVS devices to be configured in series, thus clamping the connected circuitry with a higher clamping voltage and ensuring that the TVS devices do not clamp during normal operation.
For series connected TVS devices onboard an aircraft, for example, it is not presently possible to verify proper functionality of TVS devices in-flight. It is desirable to verify TVS device functionality in-flight to ensure proper functionality prior to a transient event.